Signs of Spring

I was driving home yesterday, and saw many great signs of spring.  In Southern Minnesota, I saw a flock of Swans, although I was not able to identify the exact type at seventy miles per hour.

Along the North Shore of Lake Superior, I saw four Bald Eagles fly in front of me, along with American Crows, Geese, and various types of Gulls.  The snow was mostly gone, but there was still some ice over the rivers.

All the waterfalls were spectacular.  The picture below is of the Cross River in Schroeder, Minnesota.  There was a nice spot to pull off the highway at this location to photograph this waterfall.  However, this sight is still very visible while you are driving by.

Along the Gunflint Trail, I saw my first four American Robins of the year.  There was a partial covering of snow along most of the Gunflint Trail, once you get inland from Maple Hill.

It seems like the first wave of the bird migration is through.  The Pine Siskins are still on the Gunflint Trail, but in smaller numbers.  Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, and the Pine Grosbeaks have headed north after wintering on the Gunflint Trail.  The American Crows, a few Bald Eagles, and American Robins have returned.

Over the next couple of months, we will see the return of the hawks, geese, ducks, loons, owls, sparrows, and hummingbirds (along with a lot more families of birds).

It will be a while before all of the water birds return to the Gunflint Trail, since there is still significant ice (around twenty inches on Gunflint Lake).  However, many of those birds have already arrived along the North Shore of Lake Superior.